CL listing flagged and removed

NoahsArcade

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Ive been selling machines on CL for years without any problems (listing wise) but recently my listing for my 60-1 multicade units keeps getting flagged. Ive been using the SAME EXACT ad for 2 years. Are there particular words Im not allowed to us or something? Its really starting to piss me off. Started happening about 3 weeks ago. Anyone else having issues?
 
Do you have any new competitors trying to sell these machines? They are the usual culprits on these situations. I have also heard of disgruntled former customers pulling this crap as well.
 
Maybe the competition? From what I have heard, the quicker the post is flagged by multiple iP's, the quicker it is taken down. When an ad is up longer, it takes more flags to get it removed.

-tom
 
Yeah Im starting to think thats the case. I own a side biz and use CL as most of my advertisement since I moved out of my shop. Im not the type that over posts. I thought it had to be flagged by several people to become removed?
 
Ive been selling machines on CL for years without any problems (listing wise) but recently my listing for my 60-1 multicade units keeps getting flagged. Ive been using the SAME EXACT ad for 2 years.


Maybe that's the problem. Same CL cruisers see the same exact ad every time they check for arcade machines. I think the definition of 'spam' is posting the exact same generic ad over and over. I started flagging someone on Mpls CL for posting the same wanted ad 5+ times a day. Out of 50 new 'arcade' listings, he was taking up 10% of the ads asking for the same thing (free/ cheap games), with the same crappy jpg and wording every time. Seemed right after I'd flag it, clicking on his ad would bring up "this ad has been flagged for removal.' So I really think it just takes one. Change your ad up a little maybe?
 
Takes more than 3 - it has to. I've done it to my own ad before as a test. I used work ... then remoted into my house and then remoted into a buddies house. 3 times and it still didn't kill the ad ... magic number must be 4??

If you keep posting the same damn thing every day - yes that gets irritating. Stick to ... wha ... every 3 days?
 
You can flag all you want... your first and only your first counts. Each city... each forum...has set limits.
 
same problem here,i post to st louis cl also like NoahsArcade

i usually get flagged for arcade games wanted non working also
 
You can flag all you want...has set limits.

Agreed as I'm sure it logs your IP - but my point was that I used 3 different IP's and it still wasn't flagged. All we have to do is a simple test. Someone post an ad and 5 people here offer to participate by posting "I do" and those people flag once. It'll either show flagged to the 4th or 5th person I would guess. Then we'll all know and put this silly debate to rest.
 
SAME EXACT ad for 2 years

Bingo. I always flag ads that I am tired of seeing for months on end. In my case, it is a copy of LOST: Via Domus for the PS3 and A hammock of stuffed animals. They have both been posting the same goddamn ad for at least a year.
 
Maybe that's the problem. Same CL cruisers see the same exact ad every time they check for arcade machines. I think the definition of 'spam' is posting the exact same generic ad over and over. I started flagging someone on Mpls CL for posting the same wanted ad 5+ times a day. Out of 50 new 'arcade' listings, he was taking up 10% of the ads asking for the same thing (free/ cheap games), with the same crappy jpg and wording every time. Seemed right after I'd flag it, clicking on his ad would bring up "this ad has been flagged for removal.' So I really think it just takes one. Change your ad up a little maybe?

I understand what you are saying. I repost it every 30 days (unless it gets flagged first)... I understand what you mean by spamming the listings but I dont think I am doing that. I consider spamming when you repost the same ad every day. Maybe I am spamming and just dont realize it.
 
Agreed as I'm sure it logs your IP - but my point was that I used 3 different IP's and it still wasn't flagged. All we have to do is a simple test. Someone post an ad and 5 people here offer to participate by posting "I do" and those people flag once. It'll either show flagged to the 4th or 5th person I would guess. Then we'll all know and put this silly debate to rest.

Takes 8 sometimes 10(no idea why it is different sometimes).
You can use an anonymizer to test it.
And yes I have flagged some ads on cl.
Mainly the douche that kept posting daily that he wants to buy an arcade game to "fix up" "for his kids", Yet had 4 to 5 for sale ads at the same time. Haven't seen him post that one for a year or so though, so maybe he got the message.
 
New TOU

Just so everyone knows too...CL issued a new Terms Of Use last month that now states they will remove any material they feel might infringe upon someone's copyright or "...implied ownership or copyright material..."

So..if the 60 in 1 has any games that you don't own the "copyright" on they might be removing it because of that...

I was selling quite a few 48 in 1 boards (just the boards) until a month ago when every single one of them kept getting flagged...

Just a thought...

True
 
same problem here,i post to st louis cl also like NoahsArcade

i usually get flagged for arcade games wanted non working also

Some tool that is occasionally on here was posting wanted ads and I use to post one in my city only. For some reason he got the idea I was flagging him and he got all pissed off so I gave him the business and wrote him a degrading email on how much of a fucking idiot he was. I mean the guy was totally out of line. It got to the point where he was making threats and I had to tell him that I would get the law involved. How fucking idiotic is that??? I think prOk gave him some shit about his attitude once here. lol! I just don't even bother with it anymore. Several years ago the competition on there was sparse but now it is ridiculous not to mention full of spam and scammers.
 
Just so everyone knows too...CL issued a new Terms Of Use last month that now states they will remove any material they feel might infringe upon someone's copyright or "...implied ownership or copyright material..."

So..if the 60 in 1 has any games that you don't own the "copyright" on they might be removing it because of that...

I was selling quite a few 48 in 1 boards (just the boards) until a month ago when every single one of them kept getting flagged...

Just a thought...

True

That was my second thought... thanks

I can definitely see if my ad is annoying for other buyers since I am usually selling a machine that isnt even built. The STL ads have been pretty shitty this past year so seeing my arcade ad as one of the few ones ever listed every month could get annoying to some. Back in the day I was going around 25 of these a year and CL was a large part of it. Figured its either competition or I have some keyword that is now in violation of the CL guidelines. I dont include the list of games in my add but I do mention it plays Ms Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Galaga. Maybe Ill try removing those names.

Anyways thanks for the opinions...
 
It's the volunteer moderators. Go to the CraigsList Help forums, and ask why your post was flagged. They will ask you to post a copy of the text, then tell you it sounds too much like a business, and that CL is just for people try to sell their one time stuff. Or they might claim you use too many links, or too much HTML.

The bottom line is that one of their volunteer mods is throwing his or her weight around. Wait 2 or 3 weeks and it should be all better.
 
The only time I ever flag an arcade-related ad is when it is obviously some guy who's in a different city trying to act like he's local in order to get a callback (and I recognize it from seeing it on CL's in other nearby cities), or when it's a known nation-wide spammer like that ArcadeBoneyard guy who seems to post here every once in a while.

I don't post on there often, and haven't had an ad flagged yet. I also don't flag other local posters (even ones I don't like or who I know are actually a business rather than an individual) because I don't need them reciprocating...
 
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